Message sent by Chairman of State Administration Council
Prime Minister Chairman of National Unity and Peace
Restoration Central Committee Commander-in-Chief of
Defence Services of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to the sixth anniversary of
Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement
(15 October, 2021)
(10th waxing of Thadingyut, 1383 ME)
Esteemed national brethren of the Union,The 15th of October 2021 is the sixth anniversary of the signing of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) between the government of the Republic of Union of Myanmar and ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) for national unity and peace. I pray for all the people including monks and national brethren to work with accelerated momentum iserving the interest of the Union and to achieve a long-lasting peace and wish a peaceful social life for them.
As the saying goes, “Words unheard for a long time are easier to overlook”, the peace process, an essential of the mother country, should not come to a halt. New ideas and thoughts for progress of the peace process will always come up in the minds of the stakeholders only through constant reminders, discussions and negotiations.
The 75th anniversary of Union Day falls on 12 February 2022. Likewise, the 75th anniversary of the country’s Independence Day falls on 4 January 2023. The two historically important days are going to reach their diamond jubilee. It is almost about the expected lifespan of a person of the country. We must always keep in mind the expression, which says, “Lack of knowledge about the past can lead to committing errors. But we shall lose our road to the future if we excessively pay attention to the past.” The government will further promote the task of strengthening Union spirit and accelerating the peace process before the arrival of the diamond jubilee Union Day and diamond jubilee Independence Day.
The government will implement the three phases – the adoption of work programs for further dynamism of Union spirit; the establishment of the implementation teams with the involvement of ethnic races; and the action step – stage by stage. The government will take the advice of the groups formed with the involvement of all the ethnic peoples, and carry out public information and awareness campaigns.
The Tatmadaw issued the Statement on Ceasefire and Perpetual Peace for 20 times during the period from 21 December 2018 to 30-9-2021 to practically carry out the peace process. As a gesture hailing the 75th anniversary of Union Day, the Tatmadaw announced the extension of the ceasefire period for another five months from 1 October to 28 February 2022 to further promote the peace process and national unity.
In promoting the peace process, the government has been
1.encouraging the involvement of all stakeholders including ethnic peoples to enhance and support the peace process;
2.organizing direct meetings between the different levels of National Unity and Peace Dialogue Committee, Tatmadaw Peace Dialogue Committee and EAOs and holding talks with peace process promotion teams; and
3.strengthening peace with NCA signatory EAOs, reducing the armed clashes with the aim of organizing non-signatories to sign the NCA and to reach bilateral accords.
Some ethnic armed organizations need to practically review the concepts without fictional thoughts that it is not need to talk with the current government as the latter is not the elected one and that the current government cannot fully implement the peace process. Evidences indicate the successes in peace process in the term of the Tatmadaw government after 1988, declining of attacks and development undertakings in ethnic areas. Among these organizations, it proved that the majority of ethnic armed organizations could sign the NCA. Although governments took the office one after another, the country is the Union of Myanmar. It is necessary to systematically identify the government and the State. We all need to be loyal to the Union of Myanmar and forge the honest and genuine will to restore the peace for the State rather than the government. All need to hold up the spirit “We are Myanmar”. Hence, NCA signatories are invited again to further cement the NCA and non-NCA signatories to join the step of ceasefire and peace process rather than the existing step and sign the NCA. All are urged to carry out the tasks with the vow of the Diamond Jubilee Union Day.
The government on its part has expressed, “Emphasis is being placed primarily on two points in building the nation, and the first point is to firmly implement the democracy in accord with the aspirations of the people as the political vision, and the second point is to prioritize the prosperity of the nation and food sufficiency.” These are the prioritized political policy of the government for future plan. These two points are interrelated. The peace is essential for our country in undertaking the tasks for prosperity.
The Republic of the Union of Myanmar was revitalized in the multi-party democracy in 2011. In its term, the first government offered the ethnic armed organizations on 18 August 2011 to initiate the peace process essential for building the firm multi-party democracy in accord with the aspiration of the people. Up to now, 10 ethnic armed organizations have signed the NCA. These organizations and peace negotiators are further recognized for their efforts, spirit and endeavours for the peace process.
Today is a period when the Tatmadaw has taken the State responsibilities in accord with the Constitution (2008) and the State Administration Council leads the country as the Tatmadaw and political parties strived for negotiations through various ways and means over the vote-rigging of NLD in the 2020 election but the mission failed. Since the time of taking the State responsibilities, the State Administration Council has laid down and is implementing the five-point road-map and nine objectives, emphasizing the agreements involved in the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement-NCA for restoring the perpetual peace. The Tatmadaw Peace Talks Committee was reconstituted on 1 February 2021 and the National Unity and Peace Restoration Central Committee, the Work Committee and the Negotiation Committee on 17 February. Currently, the negotiation committee held meetings with NCA signatories and non-NCA signatories 21 times for implementing the peace process with momentum.
Although the government is levering up the peace process, terror acts of destructionist local and foreign organizations which do not wish to serve the interests of the country, media and extremist NLD members wishing to grasp the power of the State through terror ways harm the peace and stability and rule of law in some areas of the country and hamper the peace process to some extent. As the government is controlling all measures as much as possible with compassion not to harm the peace process, ethnic armed organizations need to take a special care of no derailing from the NCA route due to terror acts, destructive acts and instigations of local and foreign elements and media.
Our government is adopting and implementing political work programmes to ensure genuine and disciplined democracy and build up a union based on democracy and federalism. We have been committed to this. For the ethnic armed groups, therefore, their continued path to the NCA with strong conviction will the enable the government to hold a fair and fair multi-party democracy general election and facilitate the emergence of a democratic government elected by the people.
The whole world has been suffering the Covid-19 pandemic since 2019. With the motto “Nothing is as important as the lives of our people,” the State Administration Council has adopted the policy of ensuring equal rights in providing healthcare to all the citizens living in the union, regardless of race or religion, and is working hard on taking the Covid-19 prevention, control and treatment measures. Vaccination processes are being carried out across the country including in the areas of NCA signatories and non-signatories and IDP camps. Currently, positivity and mortality rates have decreased significantly. I also urge the all the ethnic armed groups to cooperate in the effort to speed up those measures.
Our government will continue to work in accord with the NCA provisions for eternal peace. We have officially and always opened way for dialogue. As the Tatmadaw assumes governmental responsibilities, we can touch upon all things except the approval from the Pyidaungsu Hluttaw in implementing the resolutions from the peace talks. As regards the current political talks, it can be assumed that they cannot be done in the absence of elected government, Hluttaws and Hluttaw representatives. However, after the next election has been held, only those from the political parties will become elected parliamentary representatives and government members. So, our continued political talks and peace process involving all stakeholders will step forward with our journey.
In building a union based on democracy and federalism, all stakeholders and the political maturity and unity of the entire people are most fundamental. Due to the political immaturity in the successive eras, we have to take lessons that Myanmar could not have progressed as much as possible. In our time, we have to try to overcome this. For the peace of our country, we have to forge our political maturity and unity through our visionary and kind heart. I hereby send this message calling for the cooperation of all the people.
Senior General Min Aung Hlaing
Chairman
National Unity and Peace Restoration Central Committee